After announcing yesterday that Google Reader as a platform would be going the way of the dodo on July 1st, it appears Google has already started pulling the necessary plugs: the official Reader app has been removed from the Play Store. While you will still be able to see the Reader app on the Play Store if you've got it installed on one of your devices, open up an incognito window in Chrome, and you'll be directed to the generic 404 page when you attempt to load the URL.

A sad day for Reader fans, though there are plenty of alternatives (like Press, or our favorite: gReader) to the Reader app while the service as a whole is still functioning for the next few months.

Comments

They stopped caring about Reader a couple of years ago. They stopped using the blog and the only significant update has been removing sharing and replacing it with g+. You know, because you want to read your RSS content in your reader and that same type of content, but suggested by your friends, in a completely different place.

mgamerz

Relevant: Of course disqus won't show the image. That'd be too convenient.

It looks like feedly is offering their Normandy service as an alternative with a duplicated API. Yay! I wonder if the Normandy backend is going to end up more popular than feedly itself just like google reader.

Jason Banich

Goodnight sweet prince

Sakshar Thakkar

Ruthless!

atlouiedog

I've tried at least a dozen recommended RSS readers since the news broke last night. None of them are even close to being as good as Google Reader. I need something cross platform which already brings the list down significantly. My girlfriend needs Firefox for something she does which takes Feedly out of the running for easy to use for her. Most of the interfaces for these are ridiculously overdone.

I've come to the conclusion that there's no good RSS reader out that suits my needs. I hope someone can match Google Reader's simple efficiency and availability by July.

Crazydog

Check out NewsBlur. It's running horribly slow right now because of the onslaught of new users, but it's a pretty good replacement.

atlouiedog

I signed up last night but so far have been unable to add feeds. From what I've seen it's not a great replacement, but I still need to actually try using it.

Crazydog

Their site was hit with a crazy amount of new users when Google Reader shut down - try again now. It's calmed down and is speedy!

Jeffrey Tarman

I'm using Feedly which is cross-platform and seems to work well.

atlouiedog

It works and is cross-platform, but it's not good. The interface is mostly wasted space, I can't seem to hide feeds that I'm caught up on, which sucks because I have a few dozen that only update sporadically, and it requires a browser plugin which is problematic.

Matthew Fry

I'm using feedly with Google Reader. As soon as that's gone I assume I will have to recreate things in feedly itself.

Ryan Young

Feedly is building their own reader backend. if you're already using feedly, when reader shutsdown all of your feeds in feedly will seemlessly transition.

tlogank

Are you saying you preferred the actual Google-made Google Reader app over the alternative Google Reader apps on the market? Because if so, you are the first I've ever heard say that (compared to apps like gReader, Reader HD, Press, etc).

atlouiedog

No. It's the desktop side where everything is lacking. I use gReader on Android. It's the Google Reader service as a whole that has no equal for me, not the app.

NicholasMicallef

I'm supposed to be trying out feedly but I keep on clicking the Google Reader Notifier instead, this is going to be hard to switch :(.

rap

Although I really hate that they are killing off Google Reader at least they gave us several months notice. But they didn't need to pull the app from the store right away without any warning. Totally unnecessary.

Sam Lee

Probably the intention is to give users more time to adapt to other RSS reader apps.

Fugu

Reader was missing from the store right after they made the announcement. They wasted no time starting people on the road to GTFO.

Avrohom Eliezer Friedman

If you have it installed on your device I think you will still technically see it in the play store if you go to that link. However if you launch in incognito mode you are signed out. Launch in incognito - open a new tab - sign in - refresh first page - no more 404

It will still install basically forever if you've got it on a device already and are logged into the Play Store. It will not allow any new users to install, and that page will eventually 404 for those who don't have it. It will also stop appearing in search results, and Google's Play Store developer page. Trust me - it's gone.

Ryuuie

I am a new user to it. I've never installed it before on any device I've owned and I was just able to install it fine.

David: To be honest, I don't even care if it doesn't work. I saw the page was up, decided to see if it would even install and it did. It clearly installs on any device, despite if you've had it installed or not previously.

No one is claiming it's going to stay up all day and no one's calling you a liar, we're saying it's still there and anyone can download it. You don't need to have it installed on any device to see it's still there, and you don't need to have ever installed it previously to be able to download it.

If you can't accept this and want to throw a tantrum over the internet because someone has proven your words differently, go ahead. However, remember you're an editor for a techblog, you're more in the public eye than a simple commenter like I or anyone else here.

I'd watch the tantrums in the future, it's really embarrassing.

NexusKoolaid

Hmmm.... Browsed the thread... alleged tantrum not found - did find a sprinkling of hyperbole in your post though.

Goldenpins

sarcastic more than anything. "Trust - me " its gone "okay - have fun. Works for me btw Ryuuie is correct

Just an FYI, I checked this before I got to the comment section and I have the same experience as Ryuuie. I've never used it before, but I clicked the link, it opened up in my browser, and I was able to install it to my phone.

It's possible it was on my OG Droid, Thunderbolt, or GS4 when I first got them and I updated it without paying attention, but I know I've never used it or gone out of my way to install it.

NexusKoolaid

Keep in mind that when Google pushes the delete button the change isn't instantaneous across the globe. When AP reported that ad-blocking apps were being pulled I was still able to grab a few for a while. A little while later and it was nothing but 404 errors.

It's definitely down, but just like with most other apps that get taken down by Google, it's available for those who have installed it in the past. Same happens when paid apps are taken down - new users can't install or see them while existing users can re-download them if they want.

I use igoogle as well. heck i will continue to use it till the day it is pulled i tried going back to a plane old boring google page then went promptly back to igogle

saimin

I tried Press. It was way to slow to be useful. I have hundreds of RSS feeds and mostly just scan the headlines looking for a few interesting articles to read. Any recommendations for a RSS reader that is really fast for headline browsing? Also, it must support both desktop computers and Android, seamlessly syncing the reading list between devices. Thanks.

Feedly looks nice. Will try Old Reader as soon as the import queue reaches me.

NicholasMicallef

Wow, thanks for slamming the door in our faces Google, still no idea why they'd get rid of this rather than Orkut... I mean how many people actually know Orkut exists? and it can't be taking them that much resources considering how little effort has been put into it for a long while and it still functions very well.

Ryan Young

Orkut is has higher use than facebook in a few other countries, mainly Brazil.

chrulri

I switched to Feedly and won't go back. It has all the features I used with Google Reader (Chrome/Firefox Plugin, Android/iOS App, Cloud Backend) and will continue to work after Google shuts the Reader API down.

gRreader is great, especially if you have a ridiculous amount of feeds or feeds with ridiculous number of articles. I'm currently using the free version, but considering the pay, especially if they solve the loss of Google reader.

woj_tek

well, well, well... google takes away reader, I take away my stuff from google, and also my buddies which would be easy... Google lost hist sight and while I was proponent of their solutions now I'm pissed, really pissed. What was left that is useful?! Gmail with broken IMAP? Calendar with broken notification? Newsflash to google - it's now so easy to host those two on your own without dumb limitations! also - pushing G+ down our throats... it's not way to go!

ps. some time ago someone (under news about new currents) stated that I should not be afraid of reader being shut down - and that id would definitelly be incoroporated or something, and that currents are better... no - there you have it!